The present invention relates generally to a workflow automation tool, and more particularly, to a flexible workflow automation tool including individual form and process configurations, and multi-lingual support.
Known systems for workflow management include manual or paper-based workflow processes that include standard forms. These forms are filled out by one individual, and subsequently passed to several others, in sequence, for review and approval before finally being acted upon. These known paper-based workflow management systems, however, are cumbersome and time-consuming, requiring a variety of different paper-forms to be manually handled and acted upon by numerous individuals before final approval. As such, ability to trace an individual paper-form as it travels through the process is almost impossible in the traditional paper-based system. In addition, throughout the traditional paper-based process, paper-forms are regularly lost or misplaced, requiring the process to be restarted from the beginning, wasting precious time and resources.
Other known systems for workflow management include automated processes that include standard forms. These forms are filled out by one individual, and subsequently transmitted electronically to several others, in sequence, for review and approval before for finally being acted upon. These known automated processes are an improvement over the traditional paper-based processes because they eliminate the manual handling of individual forms, and provide an ability to trace an individual form as it travels through the process. However, known automated workflow processes typically include only computer generated standard forms that are not editable and are limited to processes of a fixed configuration pre-defined by the software manufacturer. In addition, these known standard forms are further limited to only one language. As such, there is a need for a workflow automation tool including flexible individual form and process configurations, and multi-lingual support.